Classic Film Night - Heat

 

Heat is a crime drama movie. It was produced by Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises and Forward Press and distributed by Warner Bros. Heat was written and directed by Michael Mann.

The story is master criminal Neil McCauley is planning one last heist before he retires, while at the same time maintain his code. As this is happening Lieutenant Hanna is attempting to capture McCauley, while also trying to deal with his struggling marriage and the health of his daughter. Eventually these two men will have a respect for each other, but at the same time they know one thing. This will only end with one or the other dead.

My Thoughts

One thing I absolutely love about Heat is Michael Mann's directing. He crafted a beautifully directed movie, there's so many gorgeous shots through the film. But what was also great about his directing was, not only did it look very realistic, but Michael didn't let that stop him by having some very stylized shots.

What also makes Heat such an amazing film, was the performances from our two main stars, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. These two are truly one of the three biggest highlights of the film. They not only deliver their lines perfectly, and also have great chemistry once they're both on screen together. But there are scenes where they can say so much with saying so little, or without saying anything at all.

Now there is action in this, but it's very limited. I'm not saying that as a bad thing, cause it's clear that's not what the movie was meant to be. I'll get into that later. What I am saying is, while the action is limited, it's still really great. What's so great about was not only was well done, but it's very intense. While I liked them, I felt like I wasn't meant to have fun with those scenes. Which makes sense given the type of gritty realism this film is clearly shooting for.

Which now brings me to number two of the three biggest highlights of the film, and that's the dialogue. There's many quotable lines throughout the film. That dinner scene between McCauley and Hana is filled with great quotes. When rewatching this film I felt as though there are three filmmakers who aspiring filmmakers should study when it comes to wanting good dialogue in their films. In no particular order it goes the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and Michael Mann.

Now to tell the third biggest highlight of the film, and it's really what makes the film truly amazing, and that's how there's a strong focus on character. This film is a character study. Sure you get heist and action, but at the movie's core it's all about the characters. We get to know so much about them. What they stand for, why they do what they do, how their actions effect the people around them. Even the minor characters get some focus here and there. There's such a strong emphasis on character, I'm willing to bet someone out there probably analyzed this film and very likely talked about the same thing I did. So earlier when I said it was clear Michael Mann wasn't focused on making an action film, this is what I was writing about. Mann clearly wanted to make a character-driven drama, as supposed to another action flick. And he truly succeeded at that.

Heat is an incredible movie, and one that I love. It's got wonderful directing, great performances, limited but intense action, fantastic dialogue, and a strong focus on the characters.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

So that's going to do it for me. Due come back on Thursday, Nov 24th, for part nine of Looking Back at the Films of 2021. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.